Manager, Payroll & Benefits

The Surrey School District respectfully acknowledges that our schools reside on the traditional, unceded, and shared territories of Coast Salish peoples: The q? íc?? y? - Katzie, the q'wa: n??'?n? - Kwantlen and the SEMYOME - Semiahmoo First Nations, who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial.
Surrey Schools values an inclusive school district where equity is deeply embedded, and diversity welcomed. We acknowledge the profound responsibility we all have in ensuring that our schools and district sites foster an atmosphere where everyone feels secure, respected, and valued. Our commitment to providing a quality education extends beyond academic excellence; we are committed to creating and cultivating diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free environments for all applicants, employees, students, and their families. Our identity, as Surrey Schools, is expressed in the shared values of openness, fairness and tolerance and recognizes the importance of diversity of identity and thought. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Surrey Schools, recipient of the BC Top Employers and Canada's Greenest Employer awards, is the largest school district in BC and the second largest employer in Surrey. Spread across one of the fastest-growing cities in British Columbia, Surrey Schools provides quality education to over 82,000 students with 124 schools sites and a variety of other learning facilities, offering a broad range of innovative programs and services to support the learning of our students. The Surrey School District team of approximately 13,000 employees works tirelessly every day to ensure that children are getting the best start they can, providing the preparation to be our leaders of tomorrow.
Under the direction of the Senior Manager, Payroll & Benefits, the Manager, Payroll & Benefits is responsible for the payroll operations of the District, ensuring compliance with legislation, provincial and federal policies, and reporting requirements. This position leads the Payroll team and ensures high service levels and standards are met. The Manager actively participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of systems, policies, and procedures and leads best practices and continuous improvement activities in collaboration with other departments.
Key Responsibilities:
Implements, maintains, and reviews payroll processing systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including salaries, benefits, garnishments, taxes, and other deductions.
Ensures payroll information is reliable, accurate and secure, and the processing of payroll transactions complies with collective agreements, employment contracts, benefit contracts, legislation and school district policies and practices.
Provides leadership and direction to the payroll team by establishing priorities, providing work direction, and fostering effective teamwork. Manages recruitment and selection, monitors and assesses individual and team performance, develops and implements employee development plans.
Responsible for payroll financial and management reporting and data analytics to various internal stakeholders, governmental and regulatory bodies, and outside agencies.
Analyses and resolves issues impacting service delivery. Identifies and implements corrective actions and partners with other departments to lead and support system and process improvements.
Manages security and maintenance of systems and data to support accounting, legal, and regulatory requirements, such as Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and B.C. privacy law
Maintains and builds trusted relationships and communication with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that needs are met and resolve issues. Serves on committees, working groups, and taskforces, providing advice and expertise in support of district goals.
Participates in business continuity and operational planning activities, including goal and priority setting for the Payroll Department. Establishes targets and key performance indicators that drive a culture of best practices and continuous improvement. Reviews statistical reports, key performance indicators, and service levels to confirm accuracy and assess performance.
Actively maintains current knowledge of payroll legislation and regulations, Board union contracts and general ledger classifications.
Qualifications
Degree in business, accounting or related discipline and achievement of Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP) from National Payroll Institute. Six years’ recent related experience in a complex, unionized environment including five years’ of progressive leadership responsibility. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Expert knowledge of legislation, regulations, accounting principles, and processes and practices related to payroll and benefits.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communications skills with the ability to build trust, facilitate decisions and resolve conflict.
Leadership experience with the ability to motivate and develop a team through mentorship and coaching.
Demonstrated project management skills including experience managing large-scale projects and supervising project teams.
Skilled at interpreting and applying collective bargaining agreements; department policies and procedures; and applicable laws and regulations.
Solid research, analytical and decision-making skills and the ability to resolve issues in a deadline-driven environment.
Advanced understanding of data collection and payroll systems and experience in development, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
Proficient with Microsoft applications with adaptability to learn new applications. Intermediate knowledge of MS Excel is required.
The salary range for this position is: $98,142 - $122,677 per year including a comprehensive benefits package and Municipal Pension.
Placement in the salary range is determined by an assessment of qualifications and ability to meet the key requirements of the job, and consideration of internal equity comparisons.
Qualified applicants can apply by clicking the "apply" button to the right of the posting. The closing date for this position is January 26, 2024 at 4:00pm.
Note: Successful applicants will be required to consent to a Criminal Records Search prior to employment. Only those applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. To all others, thank you for your interest.